Monday, December 5, 2011

Starting Back

Ok where do i start. been gone for a minute now and know this is not good for my health or my efforts to get healthy. Have worked out twice in probably the four weeks. Had a few personal problems with the death of one my younger cousins but cant or should i say wont use that for an excuse! The fact is i have been mentally derailed. I have been down this road before where i'm going strong and I all of a sudden hit a ceiling and just stop. I promised myself early on that when this time came i was going to push through it and i am determined to do just that. I was joking around with a friend about how we always say "i'm gonna get back on it starting monday" like monday is some magical day that is going to make such a huge difference! lol Well fact is monday is just another day so I will be hitting the gym in the morning already got my bag packed ipod charged up.

If you are truly my friend please pray for me on this journey because it is so difficult to maintain but again i am determined to push through that ceiling. I am actually a little anxious to see just how good i can do. it is my plan to pick up on my c25k program where i left off. Hopefully the time off has not hurt me too much. so with that said please look forward to my next blog that should no let me rephrase that ....that will be coming tomorrow after my work out.

Holla at you soon!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

One of the side effects of this 50 year journey is that I still suffer from a few ailments. Wont discuss them all at this time but the one that is currently bothering me is gout! Man this thing is so painful I have not been able to run in two days! Ive been forced to sit ups to keep up my aerobic workouts. Ive been keeping the foot elevated and taking ibuprofen. Days like this is exactly why I am so determined to get this weight off of me and keep it off. Just not good to have medications make your body do what its supposed to do naturally. The way things are feeling now I probably wont be able to run again until thursday or friday...but im not giving up this is just more incentive for me to continue.

On a lighter note I did begin week 3 of the C25k on Saturday10-9-11. I began with a 5 min warm up, 1.5 min run 1.5 min walk, then 2 rounds of 2.5 mins of run and walk and ended with another 1.5min run and walk, and finally ended with a 5 min cool down walk. Man it was hard but shout out to my work out partner who was very encouraging and was instrumental in keeping those legs moving. Throughout this process i have discovered two things one to effectively lose weight and become healthy you must "show up to the track,gym, or park consistently" and secondly "you have to keep those legs moving"! No matter how hard it is got to keep pushing even if it means slowing down to a crawl gotta keepem moving!

Will keep you updated on the gout and my workouts!

Thursday, October 6, 2011

1K Day Challenge

Well this is somewhat of a special day. When I began the 1k day challenge I sit my initial goal to be 90 day straight days of aerobic exercise. Well I am happy to report that I recorded my 90th day today. I feel about completing this first accomplishment but have already established my next goal of 100 days. Dont know if setting the goal thing is that important to me at this point. The purpose of the challenge is to establish consistency and I dont want this to become about consecutive days and lose track on the real goal which is living a health lifestyle!

I did close to a 3 mile walk today and my training buddy noticed that I wasnt complaining about her pace (typically her pace exceeds mines and i get frustrated) guess I am showing some improvement even if i dont notice it. 

My biggest concern now is doing a better job at monitoring what i eat. Man I have been eating up everything in site and know is based on a little added stress to my  life. As i reported on my last blog i can be somewhat of an emotional eater and lately my stress has spilled over into my eating.  The good news is that i have continued my workouts so atleast i appear to be maintaining.

I have not weighed myself for several weeks now and refused to chase the weight on that scale!!! Been there before and i lived and died based on what the scale said. But i am "DETERMINED" to keep the focus on living healthy and not my weight. Now dont get me wrong the goal is to lose weight but in a healthy long term manner. Man i have had anough of that up and down thing and dont want that to dictate what my mood will be! lol

Guess thats all for now back to my training tomorrow will let you know how it turns out!

Sunday, October 2, 2011

My Love Affair With Food

As is the case with many cultures eating is just more than nurishment for the body, it often serves a an opportunity to socialize, discuss business, and unfortuntely a stress reliever. As a child I can remember whenever there was a stressful moment it was all fixed by settling into a good meal. For me food became a quick fix a way of calming my nerves.  Iven today when I am going through tough times I automatically get hungry.

Now I know that my poor eating habits can not be blamed on my upbringing because no one else in my immediately family seems to have this problem.  It is my belief that we all find stress relievers be it drugs, alchohol, sex, overworking, or .....FOOD! I remember being nervous about my freshman year in high school and I couldnt wait for lunch, when my grades were bad in college I would go to the local quick trip near my dorm every night, when I got engaged i ate, when I got fired from a job my mother had a fried chicken dinner waiting on me that evening, when I seperated from my ex I took myself to dinner to relax, the day of my divorce I went to lunch immediately, when it became necessary to change my church home I cozied up to the nearest Olive Garden.

Uneasy times for me is a trigger for eating. It has taken me a long time to realize this and it is a battle that I deal with every day but I have learned and continue to learn how to make adjustments. Because eating out really is a social opportunity for me, I really strive to make better choices when I'm out, I have started stocking my kitchen with better food choices, i keep my refrigerator stocked with bottled water and juices instead of soda pop. I have recently began ""eating clean" , daily exercise has become a huge part of my life, and I try to surround myself with like minded people that keep me motivated! While these changes continue to be a struggle for me I pray every day for the strength to have power over this battle in my life. Will talk about this more later but it is time for my daily walk! See you next time

Friday, September 30, 2011

Couch To 5K/1000 Day Challenge

9-28-11 Wow what a day!!! C25K Week 2 Day 3 This was absolutely one of the hardest runs for me ever. To begin with I had a stomach ache that threatened to stop my 1000 day challenge as well as the work out. My doctor recently tweeked my diabetes medication and I think it was too much. At any rate once I got to the track I was motivated to complete my mission for the day. Todays workout combined 90 sec runs with 90 second walks. My calfs and right shin were hurting so badly I could not do the entire workout as planned. I did however complete the 30 mins of aerobic exercise which kept my 1000 day challenge streak in tact. I Knew that to be succesful on my next run I was going have to change the routine somehow.  When I got home that evening it was weighing on my mind heavily, I decided that I would just slow down my pace and force myself to do the workout as prescribed. Also because I really felt like my legs were not strong anough I decided to repeat Week 2 for atleast another week to improve my leg strength and endurance.

I  received a email from a friend concerning the Buck Oneil 2.2 mile run/walk! This will be held  on November 12th which will give me time to build my indurance up to attempt running the entrire 2.2 miles. While I am very excited about testing myself I have decided not to overdue it.  If I feel like I can jog the entire distance I will, if not I will combine walking and running! Either way I am excited about the prospect of this challenge.

9-30-11 C25k Week 2 Day 3 1000 Day Challenge Day 82
My stomach was aching badly again today and could not get anough rest. Finally forced myself out of the house and to the track late morning. I began the workout with a brisk 5 min walk and alternated 90 sec runs with 90 sec walks. Today was painful again but legs definitely felt stronger.  My indurance is still suspect but it didnt feel overwhelming.  Calfs were in pain again but not unbearable. Strange thing when I completed my workout my stomach ache had decreased dramatically.  Because I have a family history of prostate cancer it was suggested that i combined aerobic exercise and weight lifting for maximum effectiveness in preventing prostate cancer. Been thinking alot about when I should start but really want to feel comfortable with my running before i begin lifting.  Promised myself that I would not delay the weightlifting to long.

Received a email verifying that I had been registered  for the Buck Oneil race............so there it is, I am preparing for my second official race.  Stay tuned for my next update.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Determined

I have recently decided that I lilke the idea of walking in 5k races. The only problem is at times I can have a very competitive nature! I walked in the KC Prostate Cancer race and was proud that I finished but slightly irritated that I didnt jog. You see several years ago I could have jogged the entire thing but not today!! It was at that time I decided to challenge myself to run an entire 5k. One of my friends suggested that I use a workout program called Couch to 5k which litterallly takes you from the couch to running a 5k. I started the 9 week program two weeks ago and found it to be extremely challenging but fun all at the same time. Although the workouts have been somewhat painful I am DETERMINED to stick with the program and plan on running my first 5k in March of 2012.
Almost three months ago I decided to begin a 1000 day aerobic workout challenge . The purpose of this challenge is to promote consistency with working out by doing some type of aerobic exercise for at least 10 minutes a day for 1000 straight days. With this is mind I decided to combine the 1000 day challenge with my desire to run a entire 5k. 

Week 1 Day 1 was not to difficult it began with a brisk 5 minute walk then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes. Not bad very doable.

Yesterday's program was very tough! Week 2 Day 3 C25k. The program  began with a brisk five minute walk followed by  6 90 second runs with two minutes walks in between, folllowed by a five minute cool down walk. This was a significant jump from Week 1. Man I was sooooo tired and my entire body was aching but I refuse to let the mental part of this prevent me from completing the physical part. My legs felt so heavy as well as my breathing and it was all I could do to complete the routine.  Today is much better although I feel tightness in my back I dont have any soreness in my legs and I slept very well last night. Starting to become little skeptial about whether this program will work but have decided to trust the concept and see where it lands me.

The program requires you to work out every other day but also suggest you do it at your own pace. Hmmm lets see how this plays out.  Check back with me in a couple of days!